Stopping activities/research during college

[farf]

I'm trying to apply to top 15 schools, applying for the 2009-2010 cycle, and I had a question about how stopping activities/research looks to adcoms. I was a part of a program that paired young kids with older mentors in the area to provide guidance and a positive role model, and did it for about 2 years. However, over the past few months, I've gotten really busy and expect this semester to be just as bad, so I've barely seen the kid. Would it look bad if I just stopped the program now (meaning, would adcoms ask "why didn't you keep this going longer...?")?

Also, I have been in my current lab for about 1 year, and it's one of the biggest and most productive labs in a top 10 research university. I will stay in it for at least another semester and get a rec from the PI, who is very well known. However, this is more of an bioengineering research experience, and I'm interested in getting some pure bio in before I graduate, so I want to change labs for next year for 2 semesters. Most people I see applying to med school from around here are in the same lab for 2.5-3 years before they apply, so when adcoms ask about my current work during interviews, I'll have to explain that I left the lab I wrote about in AMCAS and now work in a new one. How will they view this situation in comparison to if I had stayed in my current lab for next fall as well (making it a total of 2 years in the lab)?

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[URHere]

Would it look bad if I just stopped the program now (meaning, would adcoms ask "why didn't you keep this going longer...?")?

On AMCAS you are expected to list the day you began an EC and the day it ended - there is no obligation to mention how long most people stick with the activity or how much time you had initially planned to commit to it. In my opinion, spending two years with the same group will seem perfectly adequate as long as all of your ECs don't stop cold turkey next year. If you are planning to continue with your research and you throw in some sort of clinical work, I doubt anyone will ask you about why you stopped working with the mentoring program.

How will they view this situation in comparison to if I had stayed in my current lab for next fall as well (making it a total of 2 years in the lab)?

I may be biased when it comes to lab research, but long term experience is vital when it comes to landing your own project and gaining independence in the lab. If you leave your current lab for a basic biology lab, you aren't likely to ever handle your own project independently - and independent projects can really help you down the line. These projects are what give you the most material to discuss at interviews, and they are your opportunities to secure an honors thesis, a presentation, a poster, or a paper. On the other hand, if you have already landed your own project and you are invested in it, do you really want to leave now? All in all, I doubt an ADCOM would question your decision to switch labs too much, but I do think that you would be depriving yourself of a valuable experience by switching now.

In your position, I think I would try to find a summer research opportunity in the basic sciences and then return to your current lab in the fall. That way, you still have some full time exposure to a basic biology lab without compromising your position in your current lab.

 

[farf]

On AMCAS you are expected to list the day you began an EC and the day it ended - there is no obligation to mention how long most people stick with the activity or how much time you had initially planned to commit to it. In my opinion, spending two years with the same group will seem perfectly adequate as long as all of your ECs don't stop cold turkey next year. If you are planning to continue with your research and you throw in some sort of clinical work, I doubt anyone will ask you about why you stopped working with the mentoring program.



I may be biased when it comes to lab research, but long term experience is vital when it comes to landing your own project and gaining independence in the lab. If you leave your current lab for a basic biology lab, you aren't likely to ever handle your own project independently - and independent projects can really help you down the line. These projects are what give you the most material to discuss at interviews, and they are your opportunities to secure an honors thesis, a presentation, a poster, or a paper. On the other hand, if you have already landed your own project and you are invested in it, do you really want to leave now? All in all, I doubt an ADCOM would question your decision to switch labs too much, but I do think that you would be depriving yourself of a valuable experience by switching now.

In your position, I think I would try to find a summer research opportunity in the basic sciences and then return to your current lab in the fall. That way, you still have some full time exposure to a basic biology lab without compromising your position in your current lab.

Thanks for the info. But the problem is I did land my own project in my current lab, but the project isn't very good, and it hasn't gone very well at all. In fact, I guess this is probably my own fault, but I haven't made too much progress since I guess I didn't work has hard as I could have, and I don't know that much about the field (but I plan on learning before applications). After 1.5 years, I figure I'll have just as much to talk about in interviews as I will after 2 years in the lab (unless interviewers ask about only your CURRENT research), and I spoke to a prof from a basic bio lab who said he really wants me to work with him, and he said that he would be able to get me working independently really fast if I was willing to work hard, which I am.

I am not afraid of depriving myself of independent research because I have done research since I was a freshman in high school, and have done a number of independent projects, including 3 that were published (but those were early on, not in my current lab). I am more afraid of depriving myself of a pure bio experience.

 

[aquariuscharm]

I was actually wondering the same thing as OP, but I have different circumstances.

As for my activity, I was a coxswain for our school's club rowing team. My novice year, I was an active member in the fall, but in the spring my course load made me take a semester off. I returned the following fall as a coxswain for the varsity team, but at the end of October, I decided to leave permanently.

When I joined, this was an activity I was intent on commiting to. I enjoyed working with my fellow novices and I thought that it was a great way for me to build confidence and leadership skills. My experience after I returned from my semester off was vastly different from what I was expecting, and I realized that it was not something I wanted to continue.

My question now is will this reflect negatively on me? My haitus and subsequent leave? As far as other clubs go, I'm not as deeply committed in anything else, though I hope to find another student org. in which I can get involved.

As for research, I worked on an independent project actively during a fall semester for a research class, but once that semester was over, I didn't continue because I lacked the time (it was a heavy spring semester). The following fall, I joined a lab as a research assistant. I was hoping that as I gained experience, I could pursue a project, but I find that I'm not interested in what the lab focuses on. I don't have that "spark" or drive that fueled me while I was doing my independent project a year before. Now, I feel I should continue working in the lab (it's my Work-Study) to gain experience, but I want to find something else to truly research.

Does this look wishy-washy? I want to find a lab that does research on something I'm passionate about, but I hope that what I'm doing in the meantime is still meaningful.

Any thoughts? Thanks, if you've read this far.

 

[aquariuscharm]

Anyone?